Jussie Smollett’s disorderly conducts conviction appeal has been denied by the Appellate Court of Cook County. The former “Empire” star claimed to have been a victim of a homophobic and racist attack in Chicago in January 2019.
However, after authorities investigated the allege incident they found it to have been staged. Furthermore, the evidence proving the actor gave a false story to law enforcement and staging the attack was presented in court.
Smollett’s Conviction
In 2021, Smollett was found guilty and convicted on five counts of lying to Chicago police officers. Subsequently, in 2022, the actor was sentenced to:
- 150 days in jail.
- Along with a total of 30 months of felony probation.
- Fined $25,000.
- And $120,106 in restitution to the city.
Before being released, Smollett served six days in Cook County Jail.
Appealing the Decision
Nenye Uche, the actor’s lawyer, criticized special prosecutor Dan Webb for deciding to charge Smollett after the initial charges were dropped by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. At that time the actor had paid a fine.
Furthermore, attorneys argued that the former “Empire” star had entered a deal with the Cook County State’s Attorney. However, the state denied there was ever an agreement.
Additionally, Foxx and other members of her office were found to have made multiple false statements about the case. This discovery was established after a review on Foxx’s office dropping charges against Smollett.
In Other News
Additionally, earlier this year, the 41-year-old actor participated in an outpatient program for substance abuse. Moreover, a representative for Smollett disclosed his steps towards recovery with TMZ in late October. “Jussie has had an extremely difficult past few years. He has quietly been working very hard for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps,” added the representative.
Furthermore, throughout the investigation and trial, Smollett has maintained that he innocent. Now, the actor’s legal team has the option of appealing the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court. Then, it would be up to them if they want to hear the case or not.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
TMZ: Jussie Smollett Loses Appeal, Likely Headed Back to Jail
WGN-TV: Jussie Smollett enters rehab after ‘extremely difficult past few years’: TMZ
NPR: Jussie Smollett will serve 150 days in jail for lying about an attack on him
WGN-TV: Court denies Jussie Smollett’s request to toss conviction
Featured Image Courtesy of Teemu008‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Ben P L‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
